The Sprout
Frost, by Jenny Holloway
The newsletter for North Hinksey & Botley
Issue 114 February 2017
The Sprout
Issue 114, February 2017
Contents
3 Letters to the Editor
7 WWCC latest
11 Flood Alleviation
13 Calling Young Botley
15 Football news
19 Big Changes at Brookes
21 ABC takes off
23 2nd Botley Brownies
25 Medical Centre Patients’ Group
29 Tap Social Movement
33 Seacourt Hall on the move
37 The Veg Van
39 Lunch Club’s Christmas feast
40 Planning Apps
41 Randoms
42 Local Organizations
From the Editor
Welcome to our first Sprout of 2017. The initial phase of the new shopping
centre will flatten the community hall, the library and the Baptist Church.
We have the latest on where they will go (pp 7 and 33) although it’s already
looking as though those early dates are a bit optimistic. The new
Association for Botley Communities is launching on 24th Feb, to help
smooth the transition (p 21). It will be the first official organization to cross
parish boundaries and cover all Botley. There are changes afoot at the top
of the hill, where Brookes has major plans (p19) and at the bottom of the
hill, where the OFAS scheme will have consequences in North Hinksey
(p11). Elms Rd Children’s Centre will close at the end of the month (p3),
when Botley Bridges hopes to take over. They are recruiting for a co-
ordinator (p41) could this be you? North Hinksey Parish Council are
looking for ideas for teenage facilities (p13) if you are between 10 and 18,
make sure you let them know! And more good news: having lost four of
our five local pubs, we seem to have acquired a cool community space
with beer almost without noticing it. Welcome to Botley, Tap Social
Movement (p29). And welcome Veg Van, too, to be stationed outside
SsP&P Church on a regular basis (p37). March 35 is the date for the annual
Spring Clean, so now is the time to get organized (p41). Lots happening,
then, and it’s all here in the Sprout. Ag MacKeith
Letters to the Editor
Sprout grant to Medical Centre
I understand that Caroline Jones, practice manager, has already written
to you to thank you and the management committee of The Sprout for the
very generous grant of £400 that you made towards the purchase of a
portable 24-hour ECG machine for the practice. I have now been asked
by the Patient Participation Group to write to you formally to add our
thanks to Caroline’s, and this task I undertake with great pleasure.
We are extremely grateful to you for your support of the practice in this
way. The new machine will much increase the flexibility of the practice in
undertaking 24-hour monitoring. As you may have heard, the awarding of
the grant has prompted the partners to make the remaining cost of the
machine available to enable the purchase of the machine to go ahead.
Many thanks again from the PPG.
Harry Dickinson, Chair, Botley PPG.
Not ‘business as usual’ at Elms Road
I write to address factual errors in the latest North Hinksey Conservatives
'InTouch' Newsletter. In an article reviewing the status of Elms Road
Children's Centre, county council candidate Dina Black is quoted as
saying, "Elms Road children's centre will continue as one of the council's
outreach centres." This is utterly untrue, as is the article's implication that
it will be business as usual at the Children's Centre. The Children's Centre
operates from a school-owned site, and will cease operating from that
site once County funding comes to an end, after the 28th February. This
is now a certainty as the High Court appeal to overturn this decision has
been dismissed [1].
Last year, in response to widespread outrage at the closure of children's
centres countywide, the council set aside one million pounds in a
'transition fund' to enable community groups to offer similar services. This
is a small fraction of the 9.12 million pounds gross expenditure budgeted
for children's centres in 2016 [2], and less than £170,000 of it has been
allocated to date: six groups across the county will each receive a
maximum of £30,000, provided they commit to deliver services over three
years.
To put this into context, £30,000 does not even meet the contributions
that Elms Road Children's Centre would make to the school's running
costs for use of the space over a three year period. It is clear that this
transition fund is only meant to cover set-up, rather than ongoing costs.
The County Council will not be running any services at the former
Children's Centre site directly, so the claim that the site will continue to
act as an outreach centre for the council is false.
The closure of the Children's Centre means that the school will lose a
considerable contribution to its running costs, which it must seek to fill
from other sources. As far as I am aware, the situation is as follows.
The school will use the space formerly used by the Children's Centre
to provide day care for two-year olds. This will be funded under central
government's 2-year-old Early Education scheme. When not in use
for school purposes, the site may be leased to other organisations.
A new community organisation called Botley Bridges will operate
some open-access stay and play sessions at the site, having come to
an agreement with the school regarding use of the space for the next
12 months. Part of the cost will be met by the County Council's
transition fund, with additional funding from Cumnor Parish Council,
North Hinksey Parish Council, and other sources.
It is not certain whether or not health visitor and midwife services will
continue to operate from the site. If they do, it will almost certainly
involve a cost to the relevant primary care trusts.
Mick Phillips
1:http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/14955303.UPDATE_Children_s_centre_rul
ing_will_leave_families_out_in_the_cold_/
2: Oxfordshire County Council, Service and Resource Planning: Financial Plan
2015/16 2017/18 and Service Analysis 2015/16
New Year update on West Way redevelopment
2017 will be a year of change for the West Way Shopping Centre with
demolition and building work expected to start in late March or April. Here
is our update:
Community Liaison Group meeting: On 30th November Mace held the
first Community Liaison Group (CLG) meeting since their planning
application was approved last June. Members of West Way Community
Concern’s committee attended and notes are on our website along with
the official minutes. Other attendees included members of residents’
associations, local churches, Parish, District and County Councilors, and
the Howse family. Mace introduced SDC www.sdc.co.uk who have been
contracted to carry out the construction. They confirmed that it will be a
“Considerate Constructors” scheme. They will appoint a ‘liaison manager’
to lead communications with the community and plan monthly newsletters
on progress and what’s next. As well as more CLG meetings there may
also be public meetings.
Timescale: Mace / SDC will not be fully on site for demolition before the
end of March. The demolition of the buildings on the corner Elms Court,
the Grant Thornton building, Seacourt Hall, the Library and the Baptist
Church is expected to last 3 to 4 months. Phase 1 of the development
will take two years. Phase 2 will take 18 months, with some overlap.
Temporary relocations: The Library, Seacourt Hall and the Baptist
Church will eventually move into the new community building but in the
interim they will be relocated into vacant shop units. The plans are to
move Seacourt Hall into the former Brasserie B space, the Library into
the two units next door on Chapel Way, and the Baptist Church into the
former Chinese restaurant and Lloyds bank. Mace have now submitted
change of use plans for these units and you can link to the details from
our website. The relocation is expected to be in March or April.
“Stopping up” order: You may have seen a stopping up order
submitted by the developers and posted locally related to Chapel Way
and Church Way. At the CLG meeting we were told that this means
stopping highway rights, not necessarily literally closing the roads. A full
explanation from Mace is posted on the WWCC website and Mace’s
consultation site westwayconsultation.co.uk.
Construction traffic and parking: At the meeting concerns were raised
that residential roads could be impacted by contractors parking. SDC and
Mace said they are making plans for contractors to use Seacourt Park
and Ride and be transported from there. They will not be allowed to park
in residential roads. WWCC is checking these arrangements with the City
Council to confirm there will be adequate spaces.
Related applications: Premier Inns have lodged a request to allow sale
of alcohol for extended hours and exhibition of films in the new hotel that
will be built in Phase 1. Representations can be made to the Licensing
Authority (Vale of White Horse District Council) until 3rd February.
The developers of Seacourt Retail Park have submitted an application to
combine units to accommodate Marks & Spencer’s Food. Comments can
be submitted until 2nd February. Details and links for these applications
can be found on our website.
As mentioned in December, WWCC is now committed to 2 purposes:
community engagement and monitoring that planning conditions are
observed in the construction. You can keep up to date via: our website
www.westwayconcern.wordpress.com our Facebook page:
(www.facebook.com/westwayconcern) or sign up for our e-newsletter by
emailing westwayconcern@gmail.com Then there’s Twitter with more
updates (www.twitter.com/westwayconcern)
Lorna Berrett, co-chair
More on Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme
There have been some new developments since the report on the
scheme in the September issue of the Sprout.
During January, the owners of land along the proposed Flood Alleviation
Channel” between Botley and South Hinksey were consulted by the
Environment Agency about the impact of the planned channel. It will
make a big difference to the fields between Willow Walk and the Rugby
Club on the Oxford side of the road, which are currently grazed by horses
from Manor Stables in North Hinksey Lane. The proposal is to enable
flood waters to move more quickly through the area by lowering by one
metre a swathe of land about 20 metres wide either side of the main
Seacourt Stream. Two new bridges are proposed, one to replace the
culverts under Willow Walk, and the other under the Monks Causeway.
The concern is that once land that has been compacted for years has
been removed, and new topsoil laid and reseeded, these fields will no
longer support the weight of large animals. What’s more, there is no plan
to replace many of the fences which protect the fields and the livestock
as they would trap debris coming down with the floodwaters. This has
obvious consequences for grazing animals. Thus the Manor Stables and
the owners of the land on which their horses graze are uncertain about
the impact on this important North Hinksey business.
Among the landowners are the Oxford Preservation Trust and the North
Hinksey Fields Trust which I chair. This latter trust was established by
Stella Aldwinkle, a great friend of the late Pat Halliday. Rent from the field
is divided among five charities Oxfam, the University Church, the Oxford
Evangelical Pastorate, Lee Abbey and a joint Protestant/Catholic school
in Belfast.
Public meetings are scheduled to take place in May when the draft
designs will have been submitted. Securing the land for the project is to
start in October 2017. Actual construction is scheduled to start in early
2019 and take up to three years to complete. During that period no
livestock can be grazed on any of the fields.
All parties agree that the impact of flood waters on residential streets has
been increased by the arrival of the megastores on the flood plain that
borders the Botley Road. It is the responsibility of the City Council, the
Environment Agency and Thames Water to regulate building in the flood
plain. It does look as though they all stood by and allowed it to happen.
Are there grounds for compensation for those whose lands, homes and
livelihoods have been seriously affected by the flooding which has
necessitated this drastic alleviation plan and all its implications? And will
the expense involved in digging the proposed channel and disrupting so
much along its current route actually solve the problem? Could it not be
solved by a few strategically placed pumps as have been very well used
to sort out flooding near Macdonald's?
Chris Sugden
Botley Boys & Girls Football club
A Word from the Chairman
We are midway through the season now and the club is looking healthier
than ever. I am not sure if we have ever had so many teams before, which
is great but does give the Fixtures secretary some additional work
juggling and sorting all the weekend fixtures well done Brendan!
We have teams in all age groups from under 7s through to under 16s with
the exception of an under 15s. Most teams are on the lookout for new
Young People of Botley WE NEED YOU!
Over the past year North Hinksey Parish Council has been
looking at local leisure facilities for older children and
teenagers. We are thinking of putting in new facilities at
the Louie Memorial Fields, next to Matthew Arnold School.
But we need to know if you would use them. We are asking
young people between 10 and 18 years old, who live or go to
school in the Botley area, to take a short survey. Your
answers will help us to decide if we should provide some new
facilities, and if so what they should be.
If you go to Botley School, North Hinksey School, or
Matthew Arnold School and have filled in the paper version
of this survey there in January, please do NOT take it
again. Thank you to everyone who has already taken part!
But if you missed taking it at school, or if you go to school
outside of Botley, then please take the survey online - it
should only take about 10 mins. You can find it on
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/NHPCyouth2017.
You have until the end of February to tell us what you
would like. We are looking forward to hearing from
you. Remember, nothing will happen without YOU!
squad members, so if you are interested please contact me, and I will do
my best to put you in touch with the correct coach. The Autumn taster
sessions for 5-year-olds were a success and attracted a record 14 to their
first session back in September. These session are still being run on a
weekly basis on Monday evenings 67pm on Brookes astro pitch, so if
you are interested please do get in touch (at jbarley1@sky.com). They
are free of charge and you will be made most welcome.
Jason Barley, Chairman
Under 7s
Our U7's team has now become two teams having taken the opportunity
to enter a second team at the Autum/Spring split in the league. Squad
numbers were high and it was the logical way forward. We are looking for
a couple of players to join. We are boy heavy and would especially
welcome some girls. We play league games on Saturday mornings and
train on Wednesdays (5:306:30 at Saint Andrews Church. Orchard
Road), if interested please contact me via Jason. Ian Potter, U7s coach
Under 11s
The U11s are a new team, risen from the ashes of the U10s team that
sadly folded in 2015. The first half of the season was very challenging
we only won one game, in part because a number of the players had
never played football in a team before, and being new took time to
discover their best positions and to learn to play with each other as a
team. But the second half of the season is looking very promising. We
are into the next round of the knock-out cup and are currently (touch
wood) unbeaten in the league on a run of four straight wins.
Having gone from no players to a full squad of 18 players is a remarkable
turnaround and it very rewarding to see the players enjoying themselves
and playing with a smile on their faces even in some of the worst weather
conditions. It has taken a lot of effort from the parents but also the players
to get us where we are today and all deserve the credit and a thank you
from the club. Brendan Byrne, U11s coach
Under 12s
The autumn league was a tough one, but the team dug deep and we did
enough to remain in Group C. Spring league started earlier than was
expected, on 27 Nov! This early start rather caught us out. We only had
eight players available for the first spring game and we lost against
Summertown Supergiants who had just dropped down from Group B,
Summertown should be commended for their sporting approach to this
game as they insisted on matching our squad number (not every team
would do this). We started strongly going 2 goals up in the first 20 minutes
and still they didn’t bring on their extra player. However, they used their
substitutes wisely and to their advantage, eventually beating us 92.
Next season we move from 9v9 to 11v11, so have subsequently been on
a recruitment drive and we welcome three new members to the squad,
Luca joined us from Crowmarsh just before Christmas, an experienced
league player and is a welcome and calming boost to our defence, Albert
looks full of potential having recently played in his first league game, a
tough and physical game against Barton which we won 4-2, Devon has
only just signed up and is yet to play her first league game for us, but,
from what we have seen at training we all believe she will be a force to
be reckoned with. Onwards and upwards.
Jason Barley, chief bottle washer, ball collector and general dogsbody
Big Changes afoot at Brookes
Following the decision to sell their Wheatley site and a downward trend
in the number of students on the Harcourt Hill Campus over the last few
years, Oxford Brookes have decided to upgrade the smaller site to equal
status with their Headington campus over the next five years. The new
configuration will see the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences,
including the departments of English and Modern Languages; Social
Sciences; the School of Law; and some further History courses, joining
the School of Education and Institute of Public Care and part of the
Department of Sport and Health Sciences already based at Harcourt Hill.
Headington Campus will house the remaining faculties and departments,
including those currently based at Wheatley. The move is intended to
enable the most closely aligned departments to be in the same place,
reducing travel between campuses, and encouraging greater
collaboration for the faculty’s academic and research staff.
Brookes have noticed local resistance to Elms Rise being taken over by
students in flats, as can be seen from these early thoughts on Harcourt
Hill: Early opportunities include: the creation of a welcoming arrival point;
exploring greater use of the chapel; the refurbishment and extension of
the Sport Centre; and the potential to develop a new building. We will
also undertake further work on identifying areas for refurbishment or
demolition and consider building additional student accommodation on
campus, in line with community feedback citing a preference for a more
self-contained campus.’
This has big implications for Botley, so we can take what comfort we can
from the following: Staff and students will be consulted on their
requirements of our new spaces and services as well as on the look and
feel of the campus environment. Local stakeholders will be consulted
early on in developing new build plans (and a campus development plan
for Harcourt Hill), in order to enable us to understand key considerations
for the local community and areas they wish to be explored. We will also
gather feedback from the local community on planning proposals as
these are developed’ over the coming months.
It is clearly important that we stay in touch with the plans as they are
formulated, and do everything we can to make sure the consultations are
meaningful. The Sprout will do our best to keep our readers informed.
See www.brookes.ac.uk/space-to-think/estate-investment-plan/ for more
detail and a set of frequently asked questions. Ag MacKeith
Our community association is taking off!
The Association for Botley Communities (ABC) has been active since the
autumn and is now ready to invite one and all to our public launch meeting
on Friday Feb. 24th at 7pm at Ss Peter & St Paul Church Hall on West
Way.
The meeting will include a short introduction explaining who we are and
what we hope to do, followed by some informal discussion over
refreshments around possible plans for action this year.
We’ve already agreed a few things, as we’ve set out in previous Sprout
articles. We want to work together to improve and maintain the social,
environmental, and economic wellbeing of Botley by:
acting as a residents’ association;
working to build a stronger and more sustainable community; and
supporting local economic development.
We also recognise that ‘Botley’ covers a wide area, and we’d welcome
involvement from people in Botley and North Hinksey parish, and also
people living in the Dean Court / Fogwell area as well as people on
Cumnor Hill.
So what could we and should we do to deliver on our aims? So far there
are plans for:
Projects to ‘green up’ Botley with more planting and better green
spaces;
Making sure that the shopping centre stays well-used during the
redevelopment what could happen in those empty shops?
Supporting work for young people, whether that’s the revamped
Children’s Centre, the new youth café, or better play facilities.
Other ideas are very welcome we are just getting started. We have
some resources and many thanks to the Sprout for their help in getting
set up. We are also taking our place in the Oxfordshire network of
Community Action Groups (CAGs), joining up with the existing Dean
Court CAG. We have a brand new Facebook page: https://www.face
book.com/groups/associationforbotleycommunities/ so please do
follow us and feed in your thoughts.
We hope to see you on the 24th if you have any queries or ideas in the
meantime please email me on chrischurch@cooptel.net
Chris Church
2nd Botley Brownies
Towards the end of last term we decided to have a go at some Christmas
crafts. The handmade cards were our first venture to see how patient and
careful the girls were with sticking small pictures onto a card in a creative
fashion and whether they could follow instructions. They passed this with
flying colours so Brown Owl was able to invest some funds in another
craft some colourful Decopatch papers and some papier-mâché blanks.
Very similar to decoupage, this involved glue, small torn pieces of wafer-
thin paper, small paint brushes and a brown papier-mâché blank. They
did such a good job that we did the more difficult shape of a stocking the
following week. We decorated two extra ones to include in the Christmas
card the girls had designed to send to Ted (our adopted veteran).
Snowy again did kits so the girls could answer yes to the question you
will have all heard over Christmas television, “Do you wanna build a
snowman?” Of course they did! So that particular week every girl was
able to build a marshmallow snowman and take a kit home to do it again
there. I even got to take one home this time (it was the demonstration
model made by
Snowy) and it was
yummy I was
particularly
looking forward to
demolishing his
Rolo and large
chocolate button
hat, but his Tic
Tac nose,
marshmallow
body and jelly
snake scarf were also a surprisingly tasty combination.
We also held a District Christmas disco before term broke up. There were
some gorgeous dresses which made the girls look so glamorous and
grown up that the leaders felt quite underdressed. When there was a lull
we quickly gathered as many as we could for a picture (see photo). Those
of our unit not in it were probably either in the craft or film area as there
seemed to be something for all. During the disco there was a snack break
followed by party games and they much enjoyed the parachute. Lucy
Howes
News from Botley Medical Centre
The Patient’ Participation Group (PPG) has continued to meet on a
monthly basis since its AGM in September. One of the dilemmas it faces
is how best to represent to the practice the views of the patients as a
whole. Currently it can only express the views of the members of the
PPG, a self-selected group several of whom are retired. The PPG has
no obvious means of making direct contact with other patients of the
practice. Patient confidentiality constraints mean that we cannot have
access to personal information, so we are working with Caroline Jones,
the Practice Manager, to make the practice website more user-friendly
for the increasing number of patients who use it for ordering repeat
prescriptions, booking appointments, accessing their medical records
and so forth. There may be scope for opening a discussion forum on the
website. Meanwhile the most effective way of publicising the PPG’s
presence and activity seems to be by means of regular letters and articles
in all the local parish newsletters.
DYING AT HOME end of life care: I am writing this in the immediate
aftermath of the Christmas and New Year holiday, which was
accompanied by the annual
exchange of Christmas cards, the
way we keep in touch with
longstanding friends and former
colleagues. The enclosed
messages often focus on serious
health issues, and thus it was
again this year: a much-loved
nurse colleague is now struggling
with bowel cancer, an old
university friend suffered two
admissions during the year to
intensive care with septicaemia
following prostate biopsy, a former
colleague suffering from early
onset dementia is now badly
deteriorated and requiring nursing
home care.
These messages reminded me of
a Radio 4 Inside Health
programme, presented by Mark Porter, which I heard on 19th October:
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07z45x4). The programme looked at
pioneering work done at the King Street and University Medical Practice
in Lancaster, which tries to identify people in their last year of life and
which then puts them on a Supportive Care Register. The question of
end-of-life care is difficult to raise with patients, but finding out what
people want, and trying to respect their wishes, can be both rewarding
and empowering.
Botley Medical Centre is actively involved in promoting end-of-life care.
Surveys suggest that approximately two-thirds of people prefer the
thought of dying at home, and would avoid going into hospital or a hospice
if humanly possible. Individual care plans (as developed in the Supportive
Care Register) include details of what to prioritise, which family members
or friends to call in an emergency, whether the patient wants resuscitation
“a thorny issue” and whether there are any particular treatments that
the patient does or does not want. Evidence suggests that most patients
welcome these discussions. Families tend to find such conversations
more problematic than do their aging relatives.
The Botley doctors are more than willing to assist with these
conversations and this care planning, a development that I personally
welcome very strongly.
Harry Dickinson, Chair, Botley PPG
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Singing is uplifting, life affirming & fun
Learn how to sing songs from here there and everywhere in harmony.
The pleasure and power of group singing benefits mood & physical
health. Everyone can do it, whatever you think of your voice. Come along
on Wednesdays from 23pm and try it out. Mary Towns Room, West
Oxford Community Centre, Botley Road. Just £4.00, drop-in. More
information from me at emformusic@outlook.com or call 07969 522368.
Emily Marshall
New beer in new casks
Tap Social Movement, a social enterprise brewery, taproom and
community space, has recently opened its doors at No 27 Curtis Industrial
Estate, at the top of North Hinksey Lane. During the week, the craft
brewery provides training courses for people serving prison sentences,
offering courses in brewing and business start-up, and providing one-on-
one support in securing permanent employment to assist in effective
rehabilitation. At weekends and in the evenings, the taproom is open to
the public and available for event hire. The bottle shop is open during the
day and in the evenings.
Tap Social was founded in 2016, in response to the lack of support and
assistance available for people who have come into contact with the law
and are struggling to turn their lives around. Having worked in a range of
positions across the criminal justice system, its founders have witnessed
too many people, especially those who have spent time in prison,
struggling to access education, training and employment, hindering their
rehabilitation, and drawing them back into a life of crime. The craft
brewing industry is booming and involves a range of transferrable skills,
making it a great way of getting people engaged and interested in work.
The Tap Social programmes, launching in early 2017, gives people
serving prison sentences an opportunity to work closely with the team to
develop new skills, learn about setting up and running a small business
and to get real work experience in an engaging and fast-growing industry.
Tap Social beers are made by head brewer Jason Bolger from a handful
of natural ingredients and are vegan-friendly. The core range includes
well known styles such as pale ale and stout, as well as sour ales which
are refreshingly tart, innovative and exciting. Beers are served from Key
Kegs (which keep the beers fresh without adding further carbonation) and
in bottles. Brewing courses are available for individuals and groups of any
size to spend a day learning how to brew, sample some beers in the
taproom and take home their own beer when it’s ready. Tap Social is also
working with local businesses and organisations to create one-off
collaboration brews for special events or celebrations. For more
information, get in touch on info@tapsocialmovement.com .
The taproom is open every Friday in February from 4pm until late. The
bottle shop is open weekdays 10am until 5pm. Extended opening hours
are posted on the website www.tapsocialmovement.com. Please
check back regularly, and come and be part of Botley’s latest social
scene.
Amy Taylor
Seacourt Hall is going places!
With the redevelopment of the West Way shopping centre due to get
underway in the next few months, Seacourt Hall is going to be moving.
The redevelopment will provide a brand new Community Centre where
the new Seacourt Hall will be located providing larger, more modern and
flexible facilities. That is scheduled to be completed in 2 years’ time. In
the meantime North Hinksey Parish Council (NHPC) and Seacourt Hall
Management Committee (SHMC) are committed to ensuring continued
availability of nondenominational meeting and party facilities and the
developers have committed to provide us with alternative premises.
Seacourt Hall will be moving in two phases outlined below.
Phase 1: Seacourt Hall temporary location:
The plan is for the Hall to move across the road into the premises most
recently occupied by Brasserie B. These units are undergoing a
comprehensive refurbishment. The downstairs will be made into one level
of around 90sqm, only marginally smaller than the current main hall of
Seacourt Hall. Upstairs there will be a committee room of 35m
2
, about the
same size as the larger of our current upstairs rooms. The toilets and
kitchen will also be refurbished.
A plan of the new layout can be found on the NHPC website and large-
scale plans are on display in Seacourt Hall. SHMC also plan to hold an
open event once refurbishments are completed so you can see the
layout. Look out for a notice about it in the next couple of months.
Phase 2: Seacourt Hall in the new Community Centre
Thanks to negotiations with the developers, the new hall will be much
larger than our present hall and we believe will work better for our users.
The current hall is aging and in a poor state and is increasingly costly to
maintain. The trustees of the charity (SHMC) are confident that when the
new hall is built we will be in a much better position than we are now. The
layout will be added to our page on the NHPC website when available.
When is the temporary move taking place?
There is still a lot of work to be done, both physical and legal, before we
can move. At this stage we have no firm dates but our best estimates are
that we could be vacating Seacourt Hall in March or April. We will provide
30 days notice of the moving date. Look out too for the open event when
you can take a look at the temporary facilities.
Can I book the Hall for an event after March?
Yes, everything will be working as normal and, in any event, we will give
you 30 days notice before we move. To book please contact Hall
Manager and Booking Clerk: Eric Batts on 01865 821565.
If I have a regular booking will there be disruption during the move?
We anticipate only very minimal disruption during the move as the
temporary facility will be fitted out before the current hall is vacated. We
will plan for the move of tables, chairs, kitchen equipment etc. to be at a
time when the hall is not in use.
I’ve not used Seacourt Hall before but I’m interested in booking,
where do I find out more?
Details of the rooms and rates are available on the Seacourt Hall page of
the NHPC website, or you can contact Eric Batts on the number above,
or you can email us at seacourt.hall@googlemail.com
We hope that you will continue to use Seacourt Hall and will find the
temporary premises satisfactory. We will be contacting regular users to
discuss your requirements but in the meantime please contact Eric Batts
or me if you have any questions.
L A Blizzard, Chairman SHMC
Can you help with Botley’s community fridge?
A community fridge is a fridge into which anyone can put food, and from
which anyone can take food. It is a way of reducing food waste and
providing food to
people who need
it. St. Peter &
Paul church is
considering
accommodating a
community fridge;
funding is in the
pipeline; and we are in discussions with the environmental health officer
about what can go into it. We hope to have it up and running very soon.
It would be one of the first community fridges in the UK: others are being
considered for other parts of Oxford, but the only ones that are up and
running so far are in Frome and South Derbyshire.
Would you like to get involved? Before the fridge gets going, we need
volunteers to talk to local cafes and restaurants, and put up posters.
Afterwards, we need a daily rota of volunteers to clean the fridge and
keep the food in date. Please email me on riki@phonecoop.coop or
phone 07759 135811 if you can help.
Would you use food from the fridge? Some people think that a
community fridge would not be used in Botley, and we are trying to see
whether this is the case. It would be very helpful if you could email or text
Riki as above, just saying ‘yes’ if you would be interested in taking food.
You do not have to need the food in order to take it! For more information
about community fridges please see www.foodforcharities.org.uk. The
picture shows the one in Frome. Riki Therivel
Cultivate Veg Van Catch it in Botley
Cultivate would like to thank all who paid us a visit at our first VegVan
stop outside Ss Peter and Paul in January. The welcome we received
was extremely warm. For those who have not managed to catch us yet
we’ll be regularly stopping outside Ss Peter and Paul every 1st and 3rd
Saturday 10am2pm in our mobile shop, the VegVan, selling all kinds of
organic and local produce. . If you have any questions, contact Katie-
Louise Herring on 07716 511669 or see www.cultivateoxford.org
Botley Over 60s Lunch Club
Diners at the Botley Over-60s Lunch Club celebrated Christmas with a
festive meal 10 days before the big day itself. The Seacourt Hall looked
very jolly with two Christmas
trees, garlands around the
room, and the tables laid up
with red covers, red napkins,
pretty table decorations, and
crackers.
Roast beef, roast potatoes,
Brussel sprouts, carrots, and
Yorkshire pudding were on
the menu, followed by Xmas
Pudding and mince pies, all washed down with a glass of wine or fruit
juice. We always pride ourselves on cooking our food freshly on the
premises but I had to do an emergency run home with one huge piece of
beef as we couldn’t get it all in the (double) ovens at the hall! Thankfully
hubby whisked it back in time for it to be carved for lunch at 12.30. All
the beef was delicious, so many thanks to Andy Brock on Elms Parade
from whom we buy all our meat.
We had some extra visitors as well. Eric Batts, who is the Seacourt Hall
manager as well as a member of the Vale of White Horse District Council
cabinet, brought along the Chairman of the Council, Mike Badcock. They
helped serve some of the meals and poured glasses of wine. The most
prestigious visitor, of course, was Father Christmas who oversaw the
raffle and handed out the prizes. Anyone who didn’t win a raffle prize
was invited to take home one of the lovely table decorations which were
homemade with fresh flowers by a couple of the volunteers.
Two volunteers retired from our team that day and the Christmas meal
marked their last lunch with us. They are too modest to be named and
reluctantly came out of the kitchen to be presented with flowers as thanks
for more than 30-years’ worth of service between them. That’s an awful
lot of potato preparation, pudding making and washing-up! There’s more
to it than that, of course, and the volunteers gratefully sat down to a
Christmas lunch after completing most of the clearing up. That was nearly
60 Christmas lunches done and dusted for another year. Phew!
Viv Smith
LOCAL PLANNING APPLICATIONS
P16/V2867/HH
85 Arthray Rd. 1-storey rear extension.
14 November
P16/V2880/PDH
112 North Hinksey Lane. Flat roofed single
storey rear extension.
14 November
P16/V2810/PDH
21 Cedar Road. New conservatory
16 November
P16/V2907/HH
15 Arthray Road. Demolish existing garage
and erect 2-storey side extension.
16 November
P16/V3039/FUL
5 Toynbee Close. Alter existing house and
build new one behind it.
Target Decision Date: 30 Jan
5 December
P16/V3069/HH
11 Finmore Road. Replace existing rear
extension, with new single storey one. Loft
conversion and new front porch.
6 December
TDD: 31 Jan
P16/V3032/HH
27 North Hinksey Lane. Replace rear
timber lean-to with new single-storey
extension. Build new garden building.
8 December
TDD: 2 Feb
P16/V3080/LDP
45 Yarnells Hill. Proposed stationing of
mobile home.
12 December
TDD: 6 Feb
P16/V3097/FUL
54 Hurst Rise Road. Demolish existing
house and outbuildings and provide four
family houses, two detached and two
forming a semi-detached unit.
12 December
TDD: 6 Feb
P16/V3150/FUL
Old Manor Stables 20A North Hinksey
Lane. Convert and alter riding school
storage barn to form a dwelling.
20 December
TDD: 13 Feb
P16/V3202/FUL
25 Hawthorn Close. Subdivide plot,
keeping 3-bed semi, but replacing garage
and side extension, with detached 2-storey
building of two 2-bed flats
20 December
TDD: 14 Feb
P16/V3204/HH
3 The Garth. Single storey rear extension.
20 December
TDD: 14Feb
P16/V3227/FUL
Comments
by 2 Feb
Seacourt Tower Retail Park Further
changes in access, car parking and
landscaping to existing retail park,.
Remove filling station add new retail units,
cafe/restaurant units.
22 December
TDD: 23
March
P16/V3234/FUL
5 January
TTD: 2 March
Randoms
WANTED: co-ordinator for Botley Bridges
‘Botley Bridges’ is looking for an enthusiastic and flexible co-ordinator for
this local community project. The aim of the project is to support families
with children up to the age of 11 by providing information and activities
which help all children to be healthy, active and fulfil their potential. The
co-ordinator will be responsible for planning and leading the programme
of events, contributing to the fundraising activities of the project and
supporting other paid staff or volunteers. Botley Bridges is a social
enterprise company, which is currently seeking charitable status. The
post is initially for 1 year and 16 hours a week (over 3 days) with the aim
that ongoing funding will be secured and the project will continue in the
future. Salary £20,000 pro rata (equates to £10 an hour) and 25 days
holiday pro rata. Applicants need to have experience of family support
and working with young children. Contact Sue Dowe on 07769 275084
for more information about the post, and see botleybridges@gmail.com
for job description and application form. Closing date is 14th February
and interviews will be on 25th February.
Time to spruce up your neighbourhood!
It’s that time of year again the time when public spirited people take to
the streets and public spaces to clean up the litter. The Annual Spring
Clean will take place over the weekend of March 3rd to 5th. So many
people out litter picking makes a real impact not just on the look of the
place, but on our awareness of the need to keep our patch clean. This
year the Vale are in support, and are offering the loan of equipment. It is
likely to run out, so If you need litter pickers, sacks, gloves and hi-viz jackets
email eleanor.bunn@southandvale.gov.uk asap, or call 01235 422146.
Churches and pubs
One of West Oxford U3A's interest groups is Churches and Pubs. We
meet on the first Friday of the month at 11.30am at a church to look round
and to hear fascinating facts. Come and try one outing for free and if you
like it join the U3A for a very modest fee future outings will be covered
by the membership fee (and U3A has no age limits). For more
information about February's outing telephone Betty Mitchell on 01865
773620. For the March outing contact Rex and Jean Tester at
jaandrt@gmail.com or telephone 01865 863767.
Women’s World Day of Prayer
This year's Women's World Day of Prayer Service is taking place on
Friday 3rd March in Botley Baptist Church at 10.30am. The service has
been composed by the women of the Philippines. All are welcome to
attend, not just women!
Monica White (Secretary of the Botley & Cumnor Branch of WWD of P)
Earlier start for Sunday service
After consultation with parishioners, who were substantially in favour of
an earlier start time, the main Sunday service at St Peter & Paul Church,
West Way, has been brought forward from 10 am to 9.30.am, starting on
29 January.
Family history
Have you an interest in your family history but don't know how to start
researching? Or perhaps you have started but hit a brick wall? Then visit
Botley Library on Thursday mornings where an adviser from Oxfordshire
Family History Society will be able to give you some assistance. The
adviser will be at the library between 10am to 12 noon. To book a 30
minute session visit the library or call 01865248142.
Calling Botley Women!
The next meeting of Botley WI is on 7th February, when Mike Payne will
talk about 'The Story of a Stained Glass Window.' The walking group will
take a Winter's walk on February 14th, to Wytham Woods or round
Farmoor, depending on the weather. We will meet for our regular Craft
evening on 21st, at the WI Hall; and Book group will meet on 22nd
February. Do come along and join in! Alison Jenner
Botley Food Co-op
It’s for people who want to buy organic food more cheaply, avoid
unnecessary packaging, are looking for an ethical, sustainable food
supply and want to be part of a community group that organises
wholesale delivery of more than 5000 products. The co-op has now had
a couple of deliveries, and includes about 15 households. If you’d like to
know more, go to
www.facebook.com/WestOxfordFoodCoop/ or
www.streetlife.com/page/west-oxford-organic-buyers-group-food-
coop
where you will find phone numbers and links.
Organizations: If your organization is not listed here, please send details to
editor@thesprout.org.uk or telephone 724452 for inclusion in future issues.
telephone 724452 for inclusion in future issues.
1st Botley Brownies
Girls aged 710
Dean Court Community Centre Thur 67.30 Fiona
Wheeler, firstbotleybrownies@gmail.com
2nd Botley Brownies
Girls aged 710
Rosary Room, Yarnells Hill. Tues 6 -7.30 : Alison
Griffin 01865 379247
4th Oxford Scout Group
Beavers, Cub Scouts, Scouts
Scout Hall, Arnolds Way; mail@thefourth.org.uk
Website: http://www.thefourth.org.uk/
15th Oxford Scout Group
Boys and girls welcome
Meet Fridays, Botley Baptist Hall Contact: Julie Tatham
01865 863074 or Amy Cusden 07887 654386
Badminton Club
Thurs 7-8pm at Matthew Arnold Sports Hall. Gary Clark
0777 3559 314 garryclark13@gmail.com
Books on Wheels R.V.S.
Free Library Service for housebound 248142
Botley Baby & Toddler
Group
Tuesdays and Thursdays 9.15–11am, SS Peter & Paul
Church Hall
Botley Boys & Girls F.C.
Football teams from ages 8-16
Jason Barley Ox. 242926 jbarley1@ sky.com or
Brendan Byrne Ox.792531 bb@bridewellconsulting.com
Botley Health Walks
Wednesday 9.30 a.m Contact: Briony 246497
Botley Library
01865 248142. Open till 7 on Friday and 1pm on Sat,
otherwise 9.30 to 5.30 (closed Wednesdays).
Botley Singers
Thur 7.30, Botley Baptist Church. Angela Astley-Penny
242189 angastpen@aol.com
Chair-based Exercise Class
Tuesdays 10.30 – 11.30 a.m. Seacourt Hall
Contact Lizzie, Oxon Age UK, 07785 425601
Cumnor Choral Society
Friday 7.30 to 9.30 pm Contact: 01235 533726 or
07552 786127 or www.cumnorchoral.co.uk
Cumnor Chess Club
Thurs 79pm Cumnor Old School. Steven Bennett
862788 www.cumnorchessclub.co.uk
Cumnor & District Historical
Society
Last Monday of the month 7.30-9.00 Cumnor Old
School. 01865 724808
Cumnor Gardening Club
Details on website at http://cumnorgardens.org.uk/ or
phone Chirs Impey, 01865 721026
Fit Steps exercise based
on dance
Friday 67pm, Seacourt Hall. Email Rosalie on
rosalie.crane@btinternet.com
Harmony InSpires, Ladies'
Acappella Singing Group
Wed 7.30 at Appleton village hall. C. Casson 01235
831352 or harmonyinspires@hotmail.co.uk
Hill End Volunteer Team
Contact: David Millin on hill.end@oxfordshire.gov.uk,
call 01865-863510 or visit www.hillend-oec.co.uk
Let’s Sing! – singing group
Weds 2pm, WOCC, details Emily 07969 522368
or email emformusic@outlook.com
Morris Dancing Cry Havoc
Barbara Brett 249599 or bag@cryhavoc.org.uk
N Hinksey after school club
MonThurs 36pm Contact: Oxford 794287
N Hinksey Art Group
Weds 10 – 12.00 W.I. Hall Tel: Christina 07931 707997
N Hinksey Bellringers
Contact: Ray Rook 01865 241451
N Hinksey Conservation
Volunteers
Meets at weekends. Contact Voirrey Carr
07798743121 voirreyc@aol.com
N Hinksey, Friends of
Annual Cricket Match & Walk. Douglas Bond 791213.
N Hinksey Horticultural
Society
Contact: Ann Dykes 01865 251821
anndykes@hotmail.com
N Hinksey Parish Council
Alan Stone 01865 861992 nhpcclerk@msn.com
N Hinksey Youth Club
Wednesdays at Arnold's Way pavilion, call Daz on
07791 212866 or see Facebook
Over Sixties Lunch Club
Fortnightly on Thursdays. Seacourt Hall. Marina
Bennett 01865 242312
Oxford Archers
Archery from beginner to World Champion
treasurer@oxford-archers.org
Oxford Flood Alliance
R Thurston 01865 723663 or 07973 292035
Oxford Flower
Arrangement Club
4th Thursday Cumnor.
Dympna Walker : 01865 865259
Oxford Otters
Swimming for people with disabilities. Sundays, twice
monthly. Contact: Alan Cusden 723420
Oxford Rugby Club
Boys and girls from 519 years. Contact Kevin Honner
438655, kevin.honner@ntlworld.com For Seniors,
training and Touch Rugby jamesy1976@hotmail.co.uk
Oxford Sports Lawn Tennis
Club
Family club: Melanie Riste 848658 or
melanie_riste@hotmail.com
Parkinson’s Disease Soc
Contacts: Julie and John Tailor 01865 763394.
Raleigh Park, Friends of
David Brown raleighpark@raleighpark.org.uk
Royal Voluntary Service
(West Way Day Centre)
Mon & Fri 103pm, Field House, 07740 611971.
oxfordshirehub@royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk
Saturdads
Elms Rd Children's Centre
Fun activities and trips for Dads and under 5’s
10 amnoon 1st Sat of month. Tel: 243955
St Andrew's playgroup
Friday mornings during term time at St Andrew's
Church, Orchard Rd standrewsplaytime@gmail.com.
Weight Watchers
Thursdays 6pm at SS Peter & Paul Church Hall Banso
el: 07779 253899 bansob@aol.com
West Oxford Bowls Club
Contact: Marion Bostock 436277
West Oxford Taekwon Do
Club
Mon, Thurs 6.30-8pm, MA gym, contact Chris Hall
07815 899698 www.wotkd.co.uk
West Oxford U3A
(Uni of the 3rd Age) Elizabeth Stevens, 739252
Which Craft?
Pavilion, Arnold’s way, third Monday, contact
whichcraft.botley@yahoo.co.uk
Women’s Institute (Botley)
Monthly, 1st Tuesday: Liz Manson, tel. 244175 or
email liz.manson@virginmedia.com